OUR FOREST OF THORNS | tbosas ✔️

024 || Precautionary Action

"Miss Ravinstill," he sighed, "as delightful as that sounds, my hands are already tied. I have to play by her music, or she will ruin me."

"Your hands are going to be tied only the second you do as she tells you to," she insisted, not even close to losing her patience. "Because then, she will know that you will bend to her every whim if she threatens your reputation."

"What would you have me do then?" Strabo humored her vision tiredly.

"Merely delay," Daphne gestured with her hand. "Make your intention of removing your support known and push it for voting consideration. I will challenge the proceedings, which will result into a trial. Given our track record in trials, it's safe to assume after that point of no return I will have at least another month of active Congress duty before they rule against my appeal. It's more than enough. I'll have Dr. Gaul behind bars long before the first hearing would be due."

"Behind bars?"

"I told you, Mr. Plinth. I can make this all go away," Daphne tilted her head to the side. "And I can even sweeten our deal," her tender smile turned through her cunning edge into a grin, all the while her right hand disappeared in her own suit jacket, returning with a piece of paper that she extended to Strabo. "I know how much you like a good investment and it feels only fair to let a friend in on the best investment he could make ahead of everyone else."

Strabo's fingertip tingled over the fine piece of of paper at the mention of investments, but as soon as he read what was on that thing, his armchair grew needles and he stood up. "What is this?" He looked wide eyed at Daphne, his hand shivering ever so slightly on the paper he was given.

"The future, Mr. Plinth."

He raised his hand, scrunching the paper in his fist, "You're trying to take over my field?"

"Please," Daphne crossed her legs and leant back into her armchair, nodding to her side, "sit down—"

"You come into my house with the audacity to threaten my business?!" Strabo was losing his mind over what that piece of paper entailed though.

"Mr. Plinth," Daphne sighed, rather disgusted by how alarmed he had become, his desperation disctating a tunnel vision upon him. "If I wanted to ruin you, I wouldn't have told you about my next move and I wouldn't have allowed you the chance to become one of my investors. I will join the weapon manufacturing business, with or without your support, so the choice is yours. You can either become the competition or my business partner."

Finally, her words reached past his fear of no longer being the magnate at the top of an industry branch and he lowered his hands besides himself. "And all you want is that I delay taking back my endorsement?"

"Well, that and one more little thing," Daphne gloated over bringing him exactly where she needed him to be. "Coriolanus Snow," she threaded forward carefully with her words. "The boy who got your son out of that arena last night. I need your word that should he earn the scholarship for University off of this Mentor program, he will receive it."

"What difference does it make to you?"

"Does it matter?" The look she received prompted Daphne to finally get up, "You are a self-made man, Mr. Plinth. If not you, who else to ensure hard work and merit is rewarded in this country? Do we have a deal?" Daphne extended her hand forward.